1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method, and a computer program for evaluating environmental measures for reducing the environmental impact to provide advisory information for more effective environmental measures.
2. Description of the Related Art
In view of environmental conservation, actions for reducing environmental impact have been introduced to activities of many business entities. For example, they should select low environment-oriented goods to be used in the business entities. Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2003-99520 discloses a technique for supporting such the activities for reducing environmental impact. This proposes a system in which a server determines score (points) based on at least one of sales amount of products, amount of usage, and amount of collected used products. The server stores score data, and provides users with services in accordance with the score. Since it provides the users with services in accordance with the users' level of environmental impact reduction, it is effective for promoting their actions for reducing the environmental impacts.
Though various factors affect the environmental impacts, such the system merely focuses some factors. Even if actions for some factors are carried out, it is not enough for other factors. Such the imperfection is a negative element for carrying out effective environmental management in business entities.
On the other hand, the persons in action should be aware of details of the action to reduce the environmental impacts. For example, if the user have already carried out actions or countermeasures for environmental conservation, it is important to inform them of effective actions for reducing the environmental impacts corresponding to the users' level or the like.
The present invention has been made as a solution for the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to present an apparatus, a method, and a computer program product for providing proposal information to promote more effective environmental impact reduction.